"IN THE DAYS AFTER LEANNE DISAPPEARED, GRAHAM, WHO WAS A ROLLER DOOR INSTALLER, CO-OPERATED WITH POLICE AND ANSWERED EVERY QUESTION ASKED OF HIM. WHEN HE WAS CHARGED WITH HER MURDER, HE THOUGHT IT WAS “A SICK JOKE”. “I’D NEVER BEEN IN A POLICE STATION BEFORE. I’D NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG. I WAS OUT OF MY DEPTH,” GRAHAM SAID. “AFTER I WAS CHARGED, I WAS TAKEN TO BOGGO ROAD JAIL. THAT FIRST NIGHT IN PRISON WAS ONE OF THE SCARIEST NIGHTS OF MY LIFE."
REPORTER ANNE-LOUISE BROWN: THE SUNSHINE COAST DAILY.
(WIKIPEDIA TELLS US THAT "THE SUNSHINE COAST DAILY IS A DAILY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE SUNSHINE COAST REGION OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA.")
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BACKGROUND: (WIKIPEDIA): Graham Stuart Stafford was a sheet metal worker from Goodna, near Ipswich, Queensland who was convicted in 1992 of the murder of twelve-year-old Leanne Sarah Holland. Leanne Holland, the younger sister of Stafford's former partner, Melissa Holland, was murdered in September 1991. Her viciously mutilated body was found three days after she was reported missing in nearby Redbank Plains. It is possible she was also sexually interfered with and tortured with a cigarette lighter. Stafford appealed to the Queensland Court of Appeal, but this appeal was rejected on 25 August 1992. In 1997, the Queensland Court of Appeal re-examined the case after Stafford lodged an application for pardon with the State Governor on the basis of evidence gathered by private detective, Graeme Crowley. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal again by a two-to-one majority on the grounds that there was still enough evidence to convict. Two applications for special leave to the High Court of Australia subsequently failed. Stafford was released in June 2006 after serving over 14 years in prison. Stafford, who was born in England and does not have Australian citizenship despite having migrated to Australia in 1969, faced deportation in November 2006. Some people, including Professor Paul Wilson of Bond University believe that Stafford is a victim of a miscarriage of justice. The Queensland Attorney-General, Kerry Shine, has agreed to closely consider any request on Stafford's behalf concerning a petition to clear him of the murder conviction. In April 2008, the Queensland Attorney-General referred the case to the Court of Appeal for a very rare second appeal for pardon. On December 24, 2009 the Court of Appeal overturned Graham Stafford's conviction and ordered a retrial by a 2-1 majority. The dissenting judge wanted an immediate acquittal.
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"GRAHAM Stafford lost 15 years of his life," the the December 28, 2009, Sunshine Coast Daily story by reporter Anne-Louise Brown begins, under the heading "Quashed conviction gives new life," and the sub-heading, "after having lost 15 years of his life Graham Stafford wants a fresh start for himself and the arrest and conviction of whoever really killed Leanne Holland."
"He missed weddings, funerals and birthdays," the story continues.
He missed his own chance at happiness, of marriage and of children.
"But he is not bitter.
Now aged 46 and living with his parents in Mooloolaba, he says he is looking to the future.
Yesterday Graham, who served 15 years in prison for the 1991 murder of Goodna schoolgirl Leanne Holland – a murder he did not commit – spoke candidly about life behind bars, his hopes for the future and about his family, who pulled him through the “dark times”.
From the moment he was charged with 12-year-old Leanne’s brutal murder, Graham professed his innocence.
Last Thursday, after 17 years of fighting, his murder conviction was quashed in the Court of Appeal.
He feels like he has a second chance at life.
His voice almost fails as he tells his story, sitting in the family’s lounge room.
“I’m still coming to terms with everything that’s happened and I’m still crying a lot,” he said.
“What’s happened has happened.
“I just want the police to find the person who really killed Leanne.”
Graham is quick-witted and open, and despite his ordeal, his face is crinkled with smile lines.
However, he is a far cry from the handsome 28 year old in old photos, being led away handcuffed by police.
His thick mop of blond hair has receded and is flecked with grey – a tangible reminder of the time that has passed since the nightmare started.
At the time Leanne was murdered, Graham was dating her sister, Melissa. The couple, who planned to marry, moved in with Terry, Melissa’s father, to help care for Leanne.
Graham remembers Leanne as “a lovely kid who didn’t get much guidance from home”.
In the days after Leanne disappeared, Graham, who was a roller door installer, co-operated with police and answered every question asked of him.
When he was charged with her murder, he thought it was “a sick joke”.
“I’d never been in a police station before. I’d never done anything wrong. I was out of my depth,” Graham said.
“After I was charged, I was taken to Boggo Road jail. That first night in prison was one of the scariest nights of my life.
“I didn’t sleep a wink and all I could think was that they’d got it wrong, that the police would sort it out.”
It was, however, just the beginning.
After being convicted of Leanne’s murder, Graham was targeted by other inmates.
In one attack, he was bashed within inches of his life.
His face tightens as he describes meal times – the human excrement, glass and wire put in his food.
“Some of the stuff that happened in prison I can’t really talk about,” he said.
“I hid a lot from my family. It would have been too upsetting for them.
“I had really low times, knowing I was innocent and sitting in a jail cell when I should have been out living my life.”
During his incarceration Graham spent a lot of time studying and for several years, up until his release, was head librarian at the Arthur Gorrie Detention Centre.
On his release he moved to a half-way house in Brisbane, where he was allowed day outings.
He said assimilating back into the community was hard.
“Maybe I was paranoid, but I felt like everybody was staring at me where ever I went and they knew who I was,” Graham said.
“Sometimes I still feel like that. I love living at the Coast though. People here have been really supportive of me.”
In 2007 Graham moved to Mooloolaba to live with his parents, Jean and Eric.
His sister, Stacey Burgess, lives close by and has been a rock for her big brother.
He has a full-time job at a glass manufacturing business, which he loves, and has a girlfriend, ironically called Melissa.
He says he intends to stay in the region for good.
Prior to his conviction being quashed, Graham was unable to speak about the horror he endured for 15 years, but now he can speak freely.
“I’ve been so lucky to have the support of my family and a great group of friends, who never doubted me for a moment,” he said.
“Now I feel like I can relax. I want to have a wife and kids and a house – all those things I was denied.”
A retrial of his case has been ordered but appears unlikely due to lack of evidence.
Graham said he looked forward to the case being reopened and the real killer being brought to justice.
He will be seeking compensation for his wrongful jailing but says “there are bigger things to deal with right now”.
“Right now, in the eyes of the law I’m innocent, just without the full stop.
“If no retrial is ordered – and I’m confident it won’t be – my name will be completely cleared, the thing me and my family have fought so hard for.
“I hope they find the person who killed Leanne.
“Her murder destroyed so many lives.”
The story can be found at:
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2009/12/28/life-begins-again-after-conviction-quashed/
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
